Tottenham Hotspur striker Richarlison reportedly wants to stay put in North London next year, despite reported interest from former club Fluminense.
The 27-year-old has failed to live up to expectations since joining the Lilywhites from Everton in 2022, which set Tottenham back £50m, and the fee could rise to £60m through performance-related add-ons.
Richarlison has only managed 16 goals and nine assists in 73 appearances for Tottenham in all competitions, and a spate of injuries have denied him the chance to kick on under Ange Postecoglou.
The former Watford man has only played seven times across all competitions in the 2024-25 campaign, scoring one goal and setting up one more, and he is expected to be out until the New Year with his latest hamstring problem.
Richarlison has not played for Spurs since the 4-1 thrashing of Aston Villa in early November, and even though his deal runs for another three years, it is difficult to picture the Lilywhites trying to tie him down to an extension anytime soon.
Richarlison set to turn down Fluminense homecoming?
© Imago
After Dominic Solanke arrived from Bournemouth in the summer, Richarlison was tipped to move on and jump ship for Saudi Arabia, but the summer window closed with the Brazil international still on the books in North London.
Now, the striker's former club Fluminense - whom he represented for one year between 2016 and 2017 - have apparently expressed an interest in re-signing him, but according to TNT Sports Brasil, Richarlison will snub a reunion with his erstwhile employers.
The report claims that Tottenham do not intend to loan out the striker for the second half of the 2024-25 campaign, and the player himself also wants to stay put as he prepares to become a father.
From Fluminense's side, club chiefs are said to view Richarlison as a player who could be one of the 'main faces' of their Club World Cup campaign, where they will face Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan HD and Mamelodi Sundowns in the USA.
However, the Brasileiro team's 'desires' will not be fulfilled, at least for the time being, as Richarlison is still hopeful of reigniting his Spurs career once he can exorcise his injury demons.
Could any other Spurs players leave in January?
© Imago
While Richarlison is still planning to don the Spurs kit in 2025, Tottenham may not be in a position to turn down bids for one of their defensive outcasts, Spanish left-back Sergio Reguilon.
The former Real Madrid man has been largely frozen out of Postecoglou's squad this season, although defensive injuries have seen him make the bench for Spurs' last three Premier League games.
Reguilon is still yet to pay a single minute in 2024-25, though, and as his deal is up in the summer of 2025, so the winter window will be Tottenham's last chance to recoup a nominal fee for the defender.
Tottenham will be out to snap a five-game winless run in all competitions when they travel to Southampton for Sunday evening's Premier League battle.
Ben Knapton
